Outside
by jaimek45
Summary: Beth was like a whirlwind. Coming into his life and turning things upside down before he even knew what hit him. Thing was he kind of liked that. Sitting in that kitchen watching Beth feed her son was the only moment in his life that had ever really felt right, but when someone from Beth's past shows back up he's willing to do anything in his power to keep her and the baby safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright...This is a new story I'm co-authoring with one of my betas Cybil2113. We were both quiet upset with how things ended with the MSF so we decided to give Beth her happy ending this way. Don't give up hope though. On my other story Devil's Backbone I have posted instructions on how we're going to get The Walking Dead producers to see the error of our ways...if we keep it up maybe they'll bring her back. They may not, but it's worth a shot right?! Keep in mind that this ship is still afloat and always will be so long as we're backing it. Bethyl was canon if only for a moment and that's more than some ships can say. So please sign the petition, send the spoons. Let them know what a horrible mistake they made. Keep calm and Bethyl on!**

**As always no profit was made and we do not own anything. **

It was one of those days where the heat seemed to have no end. It caused sweat to roll down Daryl's back in big fat drops. He rolled his shoulders once and rocked his neck side to side. August in Georgia was never forgiving, but this day was turning into a real bitch. Merle had taken the truck out last night and when Daryl walked out into the living room, looked like Merle was high again, and almost passed out on the couch. He subtly mentioned the truck was making weird noises. Daryl rolled his eyes and went to go examine the damage Merle has now done. Damn thing was he couldn't figure out what the hell was wrong. No damage, wires all in the right places. Daryl pulled himself out from under the truck and kicked the front of it. Fuck.

A loud slam from a moving truck next door caused him to jump. He turned to see a couple of men hopping out of the front doors and moving to the back. Great...new neighbors. More people to bitch about Merle and his behavior. He caught sight of some blonde hair ducking into the front door, but that was all. He couldn't see how old the girl was, only the bright shine to her ponytail as it swung in the hot Georgia sun. Merle stumbled out the front door clearly still a little drunk. He took in the scene of the moving trucks and the men hauling the cheap and sparse Ikea furniture into the house and then grinned at Daryl.

"Gettin' new neighbors... Oughtta be fun." Merle raised a can of beer, that Daryl hadn't noticed earlier, to his lips and then belched.

"It's 10 in the damn mornin'." Daryl grumbled as he pushed past his older brother.

"Five o'clock somewhere baby brother."

"Get an original line..." He rolled his eyes and huffed before stomping into the house.

"Ain't 'cha gonna go introduce us...maybe they got a daughter..."

"Gotta get into work...introduce yerself."

It took Daryl maybe half an hour to get ready for work. When he walked back out he saw Merle sitting in a chair on the front porch watching the scene play out in front of him. He gulped his beer down quickly and let out a loud laugh as one of the moving men stumbled down their neighbors steps, quickly followed by the other one. Daryl was about to question what was going on when a young woman with golden blonde hair came storming out of the front door and was tossing blankets at them with one hand while brandishing a baseball bat with the other. Joe and Len didn't hesitate to hightail it out of there as quickly as they could.

"What tha hell's happenin'?"

"Don' know...she started screamin' and hollerin' 'bout 3 or 4 minutes ago. Could hear her all the way over here."

"That Joe and Len?"

"Yep." He chugges back the rest of his beer and then tossed the can across the couch.

"Think I know what happened." He smirked. He had to hand it to the girl. She wasn't backing down from anything. She watched the two men pile into the truck and then turned to look at them for just a moment before she turned to her door like she heard a noise and darted back into the house.

It was dark when Daryl pulled up to the cabin. Merle was sitting outside drinking as per usual. Damn man could never hold down a job. Daryl hopped off his bike, Merle's really, but it wasn't like he could use the truck.

"You done anything all day?"

"Yep...drank some beer...cleaned a bit...then I drank some more." He smirked at Daryl with his shit grin.

"Great." Daryl grouched. "Ya do anything else?"

"Picked up some fun for us later."

"Don' tell me there's girls in the damn house again."

"Didn't bring no damn girls back...not after last time."

The last time Merle brought back women to the house Daryl threw a shit fit. He found one girl on his bed, waiting for him Merle said, but Daryl knew she was high and just stumbled in there. Daryl tossed everything. The Mattress, the sheets, and pillows everything that skank touched. Daryl shivered at the disgust he felt that day.

"Baby brother..." Merle was waving his hand in his face. Daryl jerked his head back quickly. "Where'd'ja go baby brother?"

"What?"

"Said I brought home fireworks."

"and...?"

"And, we're gonna blow shit up..."

* * *

><p>It was ungodly hot. Beth had never been so annoyed that she didn't have air conditioning. She kept the windows rolled all the way down and Jax was in the thinnest onesie she had for him. Poor guy was just soaked in sweat. He was just miserable. Luckily he had slept the entire drive, otherwise she would be miserable too.<p>

She pulled her car up right outside the cabin, it was small, but it was all they needed. The movers had gotten there first. She could tell by the looks on their faces that they had been waiting awhile. She grabbed Jax and looked at the two men. They stared at her as she got out of the car. She knew what she looked like. Her tight tank top and short denims shorts. She didn't care...it was hot.

"Sorry boys...got lost turning off the main road." The simply looked her up and down. She shrugged and grabbed Jax's portable crib out of the trunk before darting into the house.

She ignored the men most of the day. They moved in and out of the house without a word, but she wasn't blind to the looks they gave her. She knew she was pretty. She had heard it every day of her life, but that didn't mean she appreciated being ogled.

"Just about done here, little lady." The older man with long scraggly gray hair said.

"Okay..." She nodded, a little uneasy with how close he was. She tightened the last screw on the crib and set the mattress inside. She moved to go grab the money to tip them when she saw the other man.

He was tall and thin, and imposing. His long dark hair looked like it hadn't been washed in weeks and his teeth were all yellow and rotting. She wanted him out of the house. Now. He smiled at her, yellow teeth glinting in the sun that shown through the window in the kitchen. She grabbed sixty dollars from her purse and turned back around.

"Where's tha daddy?"

"Excuse me?" Beth was taken aback. Who asks something like that?

"The daddy? He dead or take off?"

"I don't think that's any of your business." She shot a glare at him.

"Ya know...ya look like ya could use a good lay...Joe and I were talkin'...thinkin if yer up for it we could take turns." Her face turned several shades of red before she found her voice.

"EXCUSE ME?!" She spat out loudly. "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE. NOW!"

She grabbed the blankets they had used to protect her furniture in the move and started to swat at him. He actually had the gall to look offended. He yanked a few of the blankets from her arms as she pushed him towards the door. The older man came out of the back bedroom, her room, with his arms held up. Beth had been opening the boxes earlier, trying to find Jax's sheets, and opened up the box containing the baseball bat Maggie had given her 'For protection' as her sister had said. She had never been more thankful for her sister in her life. She grabbed the bat and assertively walked toward them

"Now little lady-" She cut him off quickly by pointing the bat at his face.

"GET THE HELL OUT!" She screamed as she kicked him down her front porch steps. He stumbled but regained his footing before she threw the blankets at him. The men didn't even wait for a tip, which they sure as hell wouldn't be getting anyways, before hauling ass back to their truck and reversing as quickly as they could.

Beth watched them go, her eyes staying on the truck until she heard some loud raucous laughter coming from the cabin next to hers. She saw two men, one sitting in a chair the other standing, but both were watching her. The man sitting was laughing as if his life depended on it, but the other quiet. Taking in the situation like a hunter. She probably looked like a crazy person, fine by her. She wasn't here to make friends, she was only here to keep Jax safe.

* * *

><p>It had to be 2 in the morning when she heard it...A loud explosion paired with a rumble that caused the house to shake. She shook it off as a weird freak thing and moved to continue putting dishes away. A couple minutes later that first explosion was followed by another one. This one louder and the vibrations caused her dishes to shake as well. She set the glass in her hand down on the counter and looked out the window just in time to catch a streak of light take off into the sky and a firework light up the sky. The two men from before were standing out there, she could barely make out something in in their hands, probably beer. She was content to let them continue their routine until she heard the quite cries of her son.<p>

"Please...don't wake up...please go back to sleep." She prayed to herself. Another explosion shouted and Jax started wailing from his crib. She let out a loud groan and went to retrieve her son.

She made it to his room quickly and looked in on him. His tiny face was scrunched up and bright red. Another firework went off and that just seemed to make it worse. His screams grew more frantic as the loud noise startled him. _Shit_ she thought to herself.

"C'mon baby...let's see if we can get them to stop that." His arms and legs kicked out frantically as he tried to let everyone know that something was wrong with him. She patted his back as she opened the door and stormed across the field that separated the two houses.

* * *

><p>Daryl saw her before Merle did. She looked like something out of a fairytale. Her light blonde hair caught the breeze every so often causing it to surround her head. It gave her a halo, making her look like an angel. He noticed as she drew closer that her face was just as pretty. She was a tiny little thing, thin boned just like his mama was. It was only as she stood in front of him that he noticed the screaming infant in her arms. He was decked out in a blue onesie, squalling away as if his life depended on it. His face was pinched. It had turned an unnatural shade of red. He had a head of dark hair and as he paused for a breath and opened his eyes he noticed they had the same blue eyes. She was definitely the mama.<p>

"Well, well, well baby brother." Merle said slowly looking her up and down. "What do we have here?" She didn't even flinch at this.

"Are you the asshole shooting off fireworks?" She bounced the baby on her front quickly. He seemed to calm slightly, but his tiny huffs told Daryl he was still upset.

"Yes I am..." Merle put his hands on his belt and pulled up slightly. "Ya like the show babydoll?"

"If you so dare to set off another firework...I'm going to kick your balls into your throat and then rip your arms off and beat you to death with them." She paused and looked at the two carefully, then she smiled sweetly and looked back at Merle. "That answer your question?"

She didn't wait for a response to her question before whipping around and walking back towards her house with the infant who had now calmed down some. Daryl couldn't help it as soon as he looked over at Merle and saw his confused face. He had never seen Merle speechless before in his life.

"Well..." Merle sucked on his teeth quickly. "She's quite the little fireball ain't she baby brother? Things are gonna get mighty interestin' with 'er round here"

"Yea...I don' think she wants yer ass anywhere near her." Daryl laughed before ducking into the house.

Merle watched him for a moment and turned back towards the girl's house. He had seen the way Daryl looked at her.

"Don' think she has ta worry about me baby brother." He finished his beer and went inside.

* * *

><p>Daryl felt like an unbelievable ass. He wasn't sure why he thought setting off fireworks at two in the morning was a good idea, but they weren't use to having neighbors. No one lived here who didn't have to. He figured he'd better go apologize, which wasn't in his usual repertoire for people. There was a large field that separated the two cabins. Thick field grass scratched against the tears in his pants causing him to stop every so often to scratch an itch. He watched grasshoppers fly up and jump to a safer location. It was still fairly early and the sun blinded him slightly as he made it to the porch. He saw her first, bent over as she sanded the wood porch. She looked adorable in a pair of overalls and a red tank top. Her hair was haphazardly thrown into a side braid as rubbed the sandpaper back and forth over the rough wood.<p>

"Mornin'" He said softly. She jumped, not expecting someone to be there.

"Morning." She set the sandpaper down and extended her hand to shake his. He expected her hand to be extremely soft and while it wasn't rough as his, it wasn't baby soft. She worked hard before she moved here...he liked that.

"Names Daryl, Daryl Dixon."

"Beth Greene." She smiled. "You're one of the guys from last night."

"Yea..." He rubbed the back of his neck quickly as he tried to come up with the right words. "I came to apologize about that."

"No need...probably shouldn't have yelled at you two like that anyways." She shrugged and gave another gloriously welcoming smile. "Did you want to come in for some coffee? I didn't unpack everything, but I made sure the coffee maker was the first thing out." She gave a soft chuckle.

"Sounds good." He said simply before following her into the house.

Her house was warm and welcoming, even with boxes stacked to high. He noticed the obvious difference between the two homes. Hers seemed to be full of sunlight and bright colors, while Daryl and Merle's home was always dark and seemed to smell of beer. Hers smelled like peaches oddly enough.

"How do ya take it?" she asked setting to coffee mugs down on the counter.

"Black."

"Good man." She smiled sipping her coffee slowly. "My daddy always did say you could never trust a man who puts a pound of sugar in his coffee."

"Sound like a smart man." Daryl chuckled. He couldn't get over how right this seemed to feel. He then shook the thought from his head.

"He is." She smirked. A small shuffling from the adjacent room caused both of them to turn around.

"Sounds like someone's up." She said before ducking out of the room. She came back a moment later with the little boy who was rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Sit down here baby." She kissed his head and handed him a few toys before she made her way back towards Daryl. "Gotta make him breakfast...can I offer you some oatmeal?" She smiled cheekily at him.

"Nah." He smirked before turning back to look at the baby.

"His name is Jax." Beth said without even looking up.

"Jax?" Daryl said softly. The baby seemed to pick up on an unusual voice calling his name and he looked up to Daryl and smiled. He let out a tiny squeal before throwing his toy across the room and made his way across the floor towards Daryl.

"Yep. Jax Ace Greene." She looked at the tiny baby oddly as he pulled on Daryl's pants. Daryl gave a soft chuckle before picking the baby up.

"I'm shocked...he usually doesn't like men." She smiled before she started to mix up the boy's cereal. He looked back at the boy who gave him a wide toothless grin and patted his face a few times.

"This alright?" He asked thinking he really should have done that before he picked the baby up.

"It's fine." She moved around the counter and grabbed Jax from him and stuck him in the highchair. Jax gave an annoyed grunt, but once he realized it was breakfast time he grabbed the spoon greedily. Daryl gave another quiet chuckle and then the thought hit him. This felt right. Her and him...sitting in the kitchen with the baby and for some reason that didn't bother him as much as it should.

**So let us know what you think. Please read and review! Follow Favorite whatever. Just don't give up on Bethyl. It'll live on as long as we're still here. And sign the petition. Send the spoons...do something if you're as outraged as we are.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Cybil2113 and I would like to thank everyone for their follows and favorites and a big shout out to everyone who reviewed. It means so much to us that you all enjoy the story. I'll try a little better next time to answer everyone's reviews. If you have any questions feel free to send them our way. So have any of you taken a look at the petition lately? We're awesome! I am going to be sending my spoons in later in the week. I hope you all will be too. So...speaking of the Bethyl ship...I think my feet are firmly planted in the delusional one...Cybil2113 does not share my views (She's skeptical and doesn't want to get her hopes up.) It has to all be a hoax...or I'm going to be crushed in February. **

**As always we do not own anything and no profit was made. Enjoy!**

_After breakfast Jax seemed to get a little fussy, Beth turns to face Daryl_

_"I think he's still a little tired, I'm gonna go lay him back down"_

_When she comes back into the kitchen he is no longer sitting in the chair. He is leaning up against the wall biting his thumb._

_"Daryl, are you ok?'_

_"M'fine"_

_"Daryl... you can tell me if I made you uncomfortable. I have a tendency to do that."_

_"S'not that." She steps a little closer to him concern showing on her beautiful features, batting her baby blues at him._

_"Then what is it? What happened from when I left to put Jax down to now?"_

_Without another word he grabs her wrists and twirls her around harshly so her back is now against the wall as she gasps from the unexpected contact. Without hesitation he takes both of her hands and grips them above her head while he pins her against the wall with his hips. Bringing his face closer to her just not quite making contact. She can smell the cigarettes and pancakes still on his breath. Growling in his throat from the flush she is now showing, she's about to speak when he kisses her. Inviting himself into her mouth. Stunned by his bold movement, it only takes a moment for her to respond. Groaning into the kiss, she is stuck and cannot move. The only thing she can do is mewl at the wanted contact of another human. He suddenly separates his mouth from hers to slowly start working on the side of her neck. Working his way down just barely grazing his teeth in her oh so special spot. She squirms at the sensation feeling herself get moist._

_"Oh God Daryl" She can feel him smirk against her. "Please, don't stop" As he makes his way to her collar bone_

The loud piercing cry of her son jolted her from her dream. She sat bolt upright in bed, panting as if she had just run a marathon. She groaned loudly and slammed back down onto her pillow.

"Just when mommy was getting to the good part." Her bitching was met by another piercing scream from Jax. "Mommy's comin' baby boy." She let out another loud huff "Mommy's comin'."

* * *

><p>It was another hot day and her cabin didn't have any air conditioning, which left Jax crawling around the house in a diaper while she went to open every window and door in the place. She had never been one for pajamas growing up and the heat wasn't helping. She padded around the wood floors in nothing but a large t-shirt and her underwear. The breeze was cooling and Jax's mood immediately took a turn for the better. He began to babble happily as she moved towards the front door.<p>

"Well you seem to be in a better mood." She grinned at the baby as the front door swung open. She turned slightly as she heard a loud throat clearing. "Well good morning Daryl!"

* * *

><p>He looked around her porch. She was making progress, but it was still nowhere near complete. He didn't know what color she was going to paint her porch, but if he had to guess it would be white. She seemed like the type of girl who would want a white picket fence and since she couldn't build a fence the porch would have to do. He lifted his hand to knock when the door swung open of its own accord. There were days that Daryl would remember for the rest of his life and if you asked him about it, watching Beth open up her front door in nothing but a large Lynyrd Skynyrd t-shirt that couldn't even cover her white lace panties would be right at the top of that list.<p>

"Well good morning Daryl!" Her smile was wide and warm. He wasn't sure what he did to earn that, but if he could figure it out he'd keep doing it. "Did ya want ta come in for breakfast?"

"Pants." He said. Great job Dixon.

"Excuse me?" Her face scrunched up in confusion.

"Pants." He stammered again. "Yer not wearin' pants." He almost yelled it at her. He watched in amusement as her eyes went wide as the realization hit her. She looked down and quickly grabbed the bottom edge of her shirt and tugged it down.

"Shit!" She cried out before running back towards her room. He chuckled slightly at the sight of her cute little ass high tailing it out of the room. He looked around the room to see Jax playing with some toys as he babbled away to himself.

"Mornin' lil' man." He smiled at the baby. Jax turned his head and let out a tiny squeal of excitement. He threw his toy across the room and began to crawl towards Daryl as quickly as he could. He picked Jax up and sat him on his hip as he bounced him around. Beth had obviously been up late emptying boxes and hanging pictures. He noticed that all of the pictures were of Jax. A few were of her family obviously, but none of Jax's father. Or at least a man who looked like him.

"So..." Beth walked into the room, her face a deep shade of pink. _My God...she looks beautiful._ He ducked his head and looked at the floor the minute that the thought popped into his head. "That was embarassin'..."

"Don' think nuthin' 'bout it." He shrugged. Jax seemed to sense the tension in the room as he reached for Daryl's hair and gave it a sharp tug. "Damn boy." He hissed. "Got some grip."

"He's a hair puller." She smirked as she moved to grab Jax from his arms. Jax pouted for a minute before reaching for Daryl again. "Jax...come on...It's breakfast time sweetie." Jax continued to jut out his lower lip and reach for Daryl.

"S'alright." He took the baby back from her. "I can feed him." Beth looked at him strangely for a moment but went to make Jax's morning oatmeal.

* * *

><p>She loved watching the two of them playing out in the front yard. She set the sandpaper down and enjoyed the view. Jax laughed and clapped his hands as Daryl kicked his legs through the tall grass. Grasshoppers jumped from one thick stem to the other. She hadn't seen Jax with a man like this in a long time. When they were first on the run Jax couldn't stand to be held by a man, she understood. She still doesn't like to be touched.<p>

"Think this lil' man is getting sleepy." She was ripped from her thoughts as Daryl approached her with Jax. The little boy rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"I can see that." She smirked as she reached for her son, but Jax turned from her and buried his face into Daryl's shoulder.

"I'll put him down." Daryl smiled and rubbed his back carefully.

"Are ya sure?" She questioned looking slightly amused.

"Yeah, s'no problem." They start heading indoors. Daryl's chest panged as he walked into Jax's room. The walls were still a plain white, but she had hung up pictures of jungle animals throughout the room. Several smiling pictures of Beth and Jax seemed to add to the happiness and warmth that enveloped the room. Beth was nothing like his mother, she loved her son. She wouldn't stand idly by while someone beat him. He laid Jax down in his crib and the boy gave him a large toothless grin before sticking a fat little thumb in his mouth and rolling onto his side.

"See ya after yer nap lil' man." He walked out of Jax's room and quietly shut the door. He looked for Beth out on the front porch, but it was empty. The sandpaper still lying there waiting for her to continue her work. The porch was barely a fourth of the way finished, at the speed she was going she would never finish. He'd have to talk to Merle about helping her out. He turned to walk back inside and saw her on the couch looking just as beautiful as always. Will he ever get used to this?

_Making his way down her collar bone pulling her shirt down slightly to reach the top of her breast. She is having a hard time breathing. Focusing. This is all going too fast but God does it feel good. He takes his hand and slides it up her side, under her shirt and stops at her bra. Her breathing hitches and he can tell she is nervous. He stops to look at her. She is absolutely stunning. The light coming from the kitchen window is cascading over her causing a halo effect. She smiles brightly as she wriggles one of her hands free and places her hand on his guiding him under her bra giving him permission to proceed. He takes her small breast and tweaks her nipple a little rougher than he intended. He half expected her to pull away, instead, she moaned and grabbed the back of his head gripping his hair and pulling into a wet kiss. God she is so wet. It has been so long since she has been touched like this. Wanting him to never stop. Becoming brave she slowly pushes him back, she can see the slight confusion in his eyes. She gives him a small smile and takes the hem of her shirt and lifts it up over her head._

_"Jesus fuck" He whispers not expecting her to hear his profanity. He pulls her back into that breathtaking kiss. She tastes like strawberries. How is that even possible? They had pancakes for breakfast. Not wanting to be separated again, he quickly picks her up under her thighs and walks her back against the wall. She seems to like it when he's just a little rough. His dick twitches at the thought. She can feel him growing harder by the minute. Not even thinking she pulls his hair on the back of his head making him look at her. Both breathless, the only word she can get out_

_"Bedroom"_

_Without a second glance, he carries her to her room. Placing her down on the bed he backs up just so he can take in the view that is in front of him._

_"My God you are fucking beautiful" She smiles shyly at him._

_"Daryl, c'mere"_

_Spreading her legs to accommodate him, he works his way up to her with a crawl. Starting to kiss her from her bellybutton, stopping just under her breasts. He can feel her breath growing more rapidly. Pulling the cup from her bra down, he is in awe of how perfect her breasts are. Taking her nipple in his mouth was something he did anticipate this morning. Popping her breast from his mouth, he slowly starts working his way up to her mouth again. Stopping at every nook and cranny to savor this moment._

_"Daryl please..." God he can't take much more, abruptly sitting up he unbuttons her pants and slides himself back to yanks them off. No underwear. Holy shit. Sliding his hand down the side of her body, he can feel her shiver against him. He can see the goose bumps he has created just by his touch. Stopping, he looks at her in the eyes as if asking permission to go on. The smile she gives him could take his life right there and he would die a happy man. Taking his hand and slowly working his middle finger down her slit_

_"Fuck, Beth. You are so fucking wet" Her blush could be seen from space, but he didn't care. Finding her nub and slowly working it made her whole body convulse. Not being able to take it anymore he moves himself so his face is just in front of her sensitive area. Breathing in her scent was intoxicating. He has never been so turned on and nervous at the same time. His dick was starting to ache to be inside of her. Pounding away every bad thing that ever happened. He tentatively takes his tongue and gets his first taste. He is starting to think she is made of heroin and he is an addict. She squirms at the amazing feelings he is giving her. He reaches up with one hand and continues to play and tease her nipples. His other hand makes a 'V' to continue his assault on her most prime spot. Not being able to control herself she starts grinding her pussy against his face. He smiles. Letting go of her breast he inserts one of his digits._

* * *

><p>Daryl was never one to over stay his welcome, but he didn't feel right leaving Jax and Beth sleeping in the house alone. The damn girl was exhausted he could tell from the way she laid on the couch, her mouth hanging half open as she snored softly. Damn girl was adorable. He turned to the television and watched whatever she had put on. Some daytime trash.<p>

He didn't know how long he sat there, zoned out of his mind. Jax hadn't made a peep and besides her gentle tossing and turning Beth hadn't either. Until she let out the softest of moans. He wasn't even sure he even heard her correctly until she did it again, this time her toes curling tightly as she extends her feet towards his lap. He watched as he face contorted. Whatever dream she was having, it was definitely a good one. He smirked as she let out another toe-curling moan.

"Daryl c'mere." She spoke so softly he swore he was just imagining things, but the way her body moved and rolled on the couch told him everything he needed to know. "Daryl...please." She was dreaming about him and if the breathy moans were any indication he knew exactly what they were doing in the dream.

"Beth." He shook her foot lightly. "Beth!" He moved her a little harder. It didn't take Beth long to realize what had happened. Her soaked panties and Daryl's pale and terrified face told her enough. She let out a loud embarrassed groan as she drew her knees up to her chest.

"Did I just...?" She couldn't even look at him as she spoke into her knees.

"Uh...yea..." He watched her ears turned red. If he had to guess her face was the same deep shade.

"And you heard?"

"Yeah." She let out another loud groan as he answered. "So...I'm gonna just be headin' out." She didn't even bother to look up until the front door slammed. _Way to go Beth...Way. To. Go._

* * *

><p>She didn't see Daryl for two days, which may have attributed to Jax's terrible attitude that morning. She realized just how empty her fridge was and she was dreading the shopping trip before she even set foot into the store. Jax had been reaching towards Daryl's house that morning as she moved to put him in the car. Now he was knocking things off the shelf when she let him get too close and throwing anything out of the cart he could get his tiny hands on.<p>

"C'mon baby boy...let's behave...please just for mommy." He watched her for a moment before turning to grab a can of corn that sat in the cart and tossing it across the floor. "Well...so much for that." She huffed.

"Chubs has got an arm on 'im." She had only met Merle Dixon that one time, but she could pick his voice up anywhere. She turned, tight smile plastered on her face as she came face to face with both Dixon brothers. One looking slightly more comfortable than the other.

"Morning Merle..." she said softly. "Daryl." She gave him a polite nod as she placed both hands on her cart, ready to make a break for it as quickly as possible. Merle, perceptive as he always was picked up on the tension between his baby brother and the beautiful blonde that stood in front of him. Neither would look at each other. _Oh man, this is going to be good._

"So...where ya been baby doll...I know Daryl ain't one for conversatin', but I'm pretty fun to be around from time to time."

"Shuddup Merle." Daryl said through his teeth.

"I'm sorry Merle." She smiled, this time a real one. She understood what he was doing. Trying to ease the tension between the two. She looked back at Daryl and saw just how uncomfortable he truly was. She had to make this up to him.

"So...while you two figure out whatever it is that's goin' on here..." He picked Jax up out of the cart and moved to walk away. "I'm gonna take Chubs here and teach him a thing or two about pickin' up women." Beth suppressed a giggle as she watched Merle walk down the aisle looking for unsuspecting women.

They stood there, not speaking, barely even looking at each for what felt like an eternity. Beth bit her lip subtly watching for signs that Daryl might make a break for it. She caught his eye once before speaking as he looked up through his bangs at her while he chewed on his thumb.

"So..." She said. _Eloquent_ Beth thought to herself. "I feel like I should apologize for...what happened...the other day."

"Nah." He shook his head. She caught his smirk before he spoke. "Was kinda cute...watchin' yer face get all red."

"Oh Lord." She felt her cheeks grow hot as they flushed. She placed her face in her hands as she shook it back and forth. "That was embarassin' Daryl." He chuckled slightly. "Listen...I have ta make it up to you." She thought for a moment. "How about I make dinner...at my house. Wait...I'm gonna need ta pick up some more pots and pans."

"Ya can jus' cook at our place...been forever since I've had a dinner that's not fried."

"Sounds good." She smiled to herself. "Jax missed ya."

"Yea?"

"Mmhhmmm." She nodded. "He saw yer truck this mornin'...started reachin' towards your house." She let out a loud sigh. "So...seven sound good?"

"Sounds perfect." Both of them whipped around to see Merle holding Jax and a slip of paper. "Fer what 'xactly?"

"Beths' gonna make dinner."

"Bitchin'" Merle smirked. "Don' mind if I invite myself...don' need ya two bumpin' uglies on the table in front of chubs...watchin' you two flirt is traumatizin' 'nough." Beth's face grew red again as Daryl rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Hey baby doll...ya gotta let me borrow yer kid more often...damn kid is like a pussy magnet."

"And on that note I'm gonna go. We'll see you two at 7." She smiled at both of them and turned to walk away before Merle could embarrass her any further. Daryl watched her walk away. Desperately trying not to stare at her butt or the longs legs that seemed to go on forever.

"So...baby brother...ya gonna hit that?"

"Shuddup Merle."

**Alright...so what did you think? Let us know please read and review. Up next is the dinner as well as some back story on Beth and where (and who) exactly is Jax's father. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright...this took forever. Not because it was hard to write, but because life just got in the way. You can thank Cybil2113 for yelling at me until I helped her with the chapter. As always I do not own anything and no profit was made. As always big Bethyl hugs to my co-author Cybil2113 who is so amazing at getting me to update not only this story, but my other story as well. I hope everyone had a wonderful New Years Eve as I did. NOthing like gorging yourself of chicken wings and the Twilight zone marathon. **

Beth didn't want to be rude, but she could barely hold in her astonishment at how clean Daryl's home was. Not that he didn't seem like a clean person...it's just that Merle didn't. She kicked the door as gently as possible as she tried her best to hold Jax on one hip and a bag of groceries on the other. Jax babbled at her happily from her hip before grabbing a chunk of her hair and pulling on it.

"Ow...baby boy...ya can't be doin' that." She huffed. It wasn't like she could do much about it at the moment.

"Well hey there blondie...looks like yer havin' some trouble." Merle chuckled as he stood in the now open doorway. "Com'on chubs...ain't gonna be much of a dinner if yer ma drops all the goods on the floor." He grabbed Jax from her hip and smiled down at the burbling baby. Jax seemed to stare at him oddly for a moment before grabbing onto Merle's vest and chewing on it.

"Sorry...he's teethin'." She frowned for a moment before Daryl walked into the room, but the smile was quickly replaced with a slacked jawed, reddened stare as she realized not only was Daryl currently only clad in a towel but dripping wet from a shower too.

"Hey Darlina! We got company!" Daryl's widened eyes met hers as they both stood there in embarrassment.

"Ummm..." Was all Beth could think to come up with.

"Hey." Daryl managed to supply as he sidestepped into his own room.

Beth tried her best to hide her pink cheeks as she ducked into their kitchen, which was made all the harder by the fact that the only thing that separated it from the living and dining room was a counter a little over waist high.

"See...now that there Chubs...that was entertainment." Beth did her best to ignore the comments Merle was making as she went about setting things on the counter and going through all their cabinets for the correct utensils and cookware.

* * *

><p>She had gotten lost in her own thoughts as she began to cook. Her mama had always told her that the best place to forget all your troubles was in the kitchen. She would glance up at Merle playing with Jax just a few feet away, playing being a rather liberal use of the word. He was currently showing him the Sports Illustrated Calendar and explaining why he couldn't wait for November because she was the hottest. Beth rolled her eyes.<p>

"You'll figure it all out when yer older Chubs...I'll make sure ya have excellent taste in women." Merle chuckled. Beth rolled her eyes and continued with her cooking.

"Can I help ya wit' somethin'?" His gravelly voice startled her and she jumped slightly. She didn't want to admit the butterflies it caused low in her stomach.

"Umm...No thanks." She smiled trying her best to stop the rising warmth in her cheeks. "I'm just about done with the prep. The sides are cookin'. Just gotta get to tha chicken."

"What are we havin'?" Merle asked holding Jax forward like they were both asking the question.

"Well Jax is havin' peas and we're having fried chicken, mashed potatoes and homemade mac 'n cheese." She made a silly face at Jax and the baby squealed with delight. "Why don't you go ahead and keep an eye on Merle and Jax...don't want him gettin' my boy attached to ugly girls like Ms. November." She smirked as he smiled at her joke.

"Always liked the December girl better anyways." he said rather loudly.

"Mmmhmmm...Sure ya do, baby brother." Merle leered at Beth in the kitchen, but she was already back to cookin'. "All blonde hair and big blue eyes..." Merle lifted the pages to look at Ms. December. "Even got the same body type...Seems ta be what yer inta these days."

"Wouldja shut up!" Daryl hissed at his brother. "She can hear ya, ya know!" Daryl grumbled something unintelligible and made a grab for Jax who was reaching for him.

"Oh...so I'm just suppose'ta pretend ya weren't callin' out Blondie's name in the shower earlier...while ya were handlin' business." Merle made a lewd gesture with his hand.

"Would'ja knock that shit off..." Daryl pushed him and moved to go sit on the couch with Jax.

* * *

><p>Dinner didn't take much longer and before he knew it Daryl was seated across from Beth digging into the most delicious meal he had ever eaten. He looked over to Merle and the way he was scarfing down every last bit of food told him that his brother felt the same way. Beth, for all the work she had done, was too busy feeding Jax to eat her hot food.<p>

"Eat yer food girlie" Merle managed to push the words out of his mouth and pass the food that was shoved into his cheek. "I got chubs here." Merle turned Jax's highchair towards him as he took the food from into front of Beth.

"Thanks" She smiled at him warmly before taking small delicate bites of her own food. Daryl watched her silently...everything about the girl was delicate and graceful from her careful and small bites to the gentle way she wiped her mouth with napkin she had carefully placed in her lap.

"So...I've been meanin' ta ask ya girlie...where's yer family?" Beth paused mid bite. The fork hadn't even made it to her mouth. Her eyes widened, but she tried to cover her apparent nervousness with a tight smile.

"My daddy and mama live a few hours away from here on our family farm." She shoved another bite into her mouth trying her best to avoid this particular topic, but Daryl and Merle's questioning glances told her that she wasn't done yet. She gave a quiet sigh and swallowed what was in her mouth before continuing. "I have an older sister Maggie...she live in Atlanta. She works in a lawyer's office while she's going to school and my older brother Shawn is overseas at the moment."

"They didn't come help ya unpack?" Merle, ever the nosey one, continued on with the line of questioning. Sitting up a little straighter as he looked her over, he already knew the answer to the question. Whether he noticed her uncomfortableness with the questions Daryl wasn't sure, but he'd doubt Merle would stop even if he did.

"I haven't spoken to my parents in a while...and Maggie's busy with her life...we don't need no one else do we baby boy." She smiled as she pinched Jax's chubby legs playfully. The baby let out a happy squeal and turned his attention back to the older Dixon brother who was ready with another spoonful of food.

"Where's his daddy?" Merle motioned to Jax, who seemed to be the only one that was no longer uncomfortable. Beth's shoulders hunched and her eyes widened all over again. The panic in her face was more than evident now. She looked like a scared animal trapped in a cage, looking for any escape.

"He's not around." She said with a finality to her voice that left no room for argument. Her eyes settled on Merle's empty plate, her escape, and she made a move to grab it. "Why didn't ya say ya were finished? I'll fix ya up another plate. Neither Daryl nor Merle missed the way her hands were shaking as she grabbed the plate and headed towards the leftovers in the kitchen.

They watched her in stunned silence as she tried her best to scoop some leftovers onto Merle's plate, but her shaking hands made it almost impossible. Merle looked at Daryl and motioned towards her with a jerk of his head, telling Daryl that he needed to go help Beth with whatever was going on. They could both tell something was very wrong.

"I think chubs and I are gonna head outside ta catch some fireflies." Beth made no show that she even heard him. She continued to portion out the food slowly and as carefully as possible. Merle grabbed Jax and headed out the door. The sound of Daryl's chair legs scarping the wood floor didn't even phase her.

"Beth?" He said her name softly, like a prayer filling up the silence of the room. "Beth?" He drew closer as she moved towards the chicken. She was growing frustrated with her own hands. He watched as she tried to move a piece of chicken onto the plate that was precariously perched in her other hand. "Beth." this time his voice was just a whisper. He set his hand on her shoulder, barely even a ghost of warmth was felt through his hand before the sound of a plate shattering filled the room.

"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" She screamed as she dropped to the floor trying to pick up the pieces of the shattered plate. Her hands making it more difficult as the shook as if she was having a seizure. He watched as she gripped the broken pieces tightly in one hand, blood flowing from the cuts caused by the thin glass the plate was made from. She just continued to mutter out loud, to no one in particular that she was sorry, apologies to phantoms, ghosts that sat only in her mind.

"Beth. It's fine." He moved to help her, but she wasn't listening, she wasn't there. She was stuck. In another place and another time. "Beth. Stop...you're hurt. You've cut yourself." Blood rolled down her hands and hit the floor in fat drops. "BETH!" He screamed her name as he grabbed her shoulders, knocking the glass from her fingers, probably doing more damage than she was in the first place.

"I'M SORRY!" She screamed dropping to her backside, blocking her face from Daryl with her arms. She continued to scoot back, pushing herself with her legs until her back hit the counter behind her. Her loud sobs wracked her body as she continued block her face, shielding herself from blows that she expected to come.

"Jesus Christ..." He muttered to himself. "What'd the fuck he do to ya?" he was speaking mostly to himself. He crouched down low, getting to her level. He made sure he approached her from the front, his hands out in front of him, hands flat. He was trying to show, prove to her that he wasn't going to hurt her. "Beth...it's me...its Daryl." His voice was soft as he spoke and it seemed to do the trick.

"Daryl." She said the name gently. She wasn't confused about where she was or what had happened. Her face looked more like she was ashamed.

"Hey..." He smiled at her warmly as he cupped her face. "Let's get ya patched up." She looked down at her hands the same time he did and frowned.

Daryl picked her up carefully, placing one arm under her knees and the other behind her back he carried her through the house bridal style to the bathroom. He gently placed her on the bathroom sink and moved to get the first aid kit under the sink. Merle was always one to get into fights and get injured, the first aid kit was always well stocked. 'Thank God' he thought to himself as he removed some gauze and antiseptic.

"Hands." He motioned for her to stick her hands out. She did so and he did his best to be gentle as he wiped them down and checked for any glass. Grabbing the tweezers, Daryl started plucking out the few shards from her hands.

"Sorry." He said softly as he noticed her wince as he continued to wipe her hands down to try and clear the blood so he can get a better look. He had gone through the step of adding ointment and pulling out the gauze before she spoke.

"I got blood on your floor...and I broke your plate." She sighed. "I'm so sorry Daryl."

"You don't worry about that none." he hushed her. Daryl desperately wanted to ask her about the panic attack she had, but he figured if she wanted to talk about it she would offer information voluntarily. "Too bad Merle isn't drinkin' tanight...coulda blamed it on him." Beth chuckled softly, girl's damn laugh even sounded musical. Glancing up at her, he noted how the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"I, uh...I feel like I owe ya an explanation." She whispered softly. Her eyes remained on her hands as Daryl wrapped them carefully with gauze.

"Ya don' owe me shit." He replied.

"I do..." She sat up a little straighter to look into his eyes. "You both have been so kind to us since we came. I just..." She started as she took a deep breath "Jax and I have been runnin' for a couple months now...we have to stay on the move...or he'll find us."

"Who'll find ya?" Daryl couldn't help the question that popped out of his mouth. Moving his eyes back to the bandages he just finished cleaning up for her, hoping he didn't offend her.

"Gareth...Jax's father." As she said his name a shiver ran up her spine, it was hard to miss. He could see the goose bumps from where he stood.

"I met him when I went to visit Maggie at college. Things were great for a while...and then...they weren't." He watched a single tear roll down her cheek. "It started out simple enough...a few unkind words and then he hit me...a slap, a punch, sometimes he would kick me while I was down." Daryl clenched his jaw tightly. This girl looked like a damn angel...who the hell would want to hurt her?! "Then I got pregnant with Jax...he wasn't happy, but he didn't hit me. And for a while I thought things would get better. Two weeks after Jax was born he put me in the hospital. He broke my wrist and 4 ribs on my right side...my nose...he dislocated my jaw and my right shoulder..." She took another deep breath. "I was unconscious when I went in and he told the doctors I fell down the stairs and landed on the concrete floor in the basement...how messed up as that?! They thought I fell down 15 steps to the basement floor." Daryl couldn't even believe what this girl had been through. "After I got out I immediately went back to work. I told myself that Jax needed a father and as long as Gareth's rage was directed at me that everything would be fine. As long as it wasn't him, it wasn't my baby boy. Gareth usually worked nights and we had a babysitter during the day, my friend Tara, but she was sick one day and Gareth had to watch Jax. I left my shift at the diner early. I just knew...I...just knew something was wrong." Fat teardrops were rolling down her cheeks now. She wasn't crying for herself anymore, she was crying for her son, crying for inability to protect him. "When I got home I could hear Jax screaming from outside, crying as if his life depended on it. Gareth was screaming at him and Jax was just lying there on the ground...only one arm was moving." The thought of this man hurting Beth sent him into a rage, the thought of him hurting Jax only deepened his anger. "I had a friend, Bob, he was a family practitioner...he always opened his business after hours to..."

"Ta patch ya up." Daryl filled it in for her. She nodded.

"Bob said he dislocated Jax's arm...he was 4 months old and he dislocated his arm. I knew I had to get us out, but Gareth's dad was a cop... His uncle was a judge. If I left I knew I'd be leaving Jax in the hands of that monster. Bob offered to get us out. We stayed with him for a while, then his girlfriend Sasha for a while after that...But he found us. He always finds us...so Sasha set up a system. We moved at night, every few days for a month. No one knew where we were going, they only knew the next stop. So he couldn't trace us...But he always finds us." Her voice was filled with terror. Daryl had finished bandaging her up just as she finished her story.

"He ain't gonna get within a mile of ya and chubs...I ain't gonna let 'im...Merle won' let 'im." He cupped her cheek carefully. "Yer safe Beth...yer safe with us...with me." She leaned into his hand slightly. He did not miss the gesture.

They made their way through the house and Daryl split off from her to clean up the mess in the kitchen as she went to the porch to keep an eye on Jax and Merle. The pair were both smiling as she watched them. Jax let out a wild peel of laughter as a lighting bug landed on Merle's face. Merle chuckled along with him. She lost track of time as she watched the two of them. She hadn't seen Jax this happy in a long time, if ever. She didn't even hear Daryl move up behind her. She only jumped slightly this time.

"Seems like Jax is having a blast." He smirked.

"Yea...he's comfortable with Merle...and you...that's new. He usually doesn't like men. Not after...not after Gareth." Both Daryl and Beth looked up when they heard Jax whining. He was reaching towards Daryl, his bottom lip jutting out as he began to whimper.

"Alright chubs...I'm comin'." He laughed and took the baby from Merle. Jax patted his face roughly and turned back around to watch the bugs fly through the air. Beth watched, a comfortable smile gracing her lips, as much as she loved watching Daryl with her son her heart soon filled with dread. Jax was getting attached, he couldn't get attached because sooner or later Gareth always found them...sooner or later they had to run. She's gonna haveta get out of there sooner than she thought. She can't let him get attached. She just can't.

**So...what did you think? We got a little bit of Beth's background and where (and who) Jax's father is. We'll get some more of her background in an upcoming chapter. Please read and review, it lets us know what you guys like and didn't like. We also love hearing your theories on what's to come. We're going to try and start replying to everyone via PM if you review. If you don't have an account we'll reply in the beginning of each chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited this story. It really means a lot. **


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